The 26th annual European Council for Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (EuroCHRIE) conference took place at in Dubai last month, after the council selected the city as the first venue outside Europe to host the annual forum.

Hosted by The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, the conference — this year entitled ‘Building a Legacy, Living the Dream: 2020 Vision for Hospitality and Tourism’ — featured discussions on key industry topics such as how to attract and retain talent, sustainability in tourism, finance and asset management and global socio-political stability.

But the hot topic from this year’s conference was the increasing need for cooperation between industry and education, through increased focus on applied research and globalisation of the student body.

Keynote speakers included Jumeirah Group executive chairman Gerald Lawless, discussing the future direction of hospitality, and Wyndham Hotel Group managing director and senior vice president — international operations, Sean Worker, who spoke on talent management.

The conference also included panel speakers; extensive social networking opportunities; and refereed academic paper presentations in English and Arabic.

This year, for the first time, delegates could submit and present their papers in Arabic as well as English. The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management received nearly 200 academic papers for presentation, including more than 20 from the Middle East.
 

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The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management managing director Ron Hilvert commented: “We have been very pleased with the response to the EuroCHRIE conference from delegates in this region and around the globe.

“We were extremely proud to be the first institution outside of Europe to host the annual conference; The Academy is committed to developing academic and professional excellence through innovative learning and our participation in and support of the EuroCHRIE conference clearly demonstrates this.”